Adapting a Spiderman
by EntangledWorld
Summary: After the fight in Germany, the Avengers are hiding out in Tony Stark's secluded home. There, Peter Parker and Tony Stark attempt to adapt to an outcome that no one had expected- Peter Parker is paralyzed.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I

All he could think about was fish.

Why fish?

He didn't know. Maybe it was the fact that he was right next to the ocean, right next to the beach, but couldn't even get into the water. All he could do was to stare out of his window forlornly,

Why did that remind him of fish?

His mind was all over the place.

In the distance, he could see the children playing in the sand- Cooper, Lila, and Cassie. They were laughing at something that Thor had said. In the distance, he could see Natasha on a beach chair, no doubt smirking at the scene before her.

"Hey, kid?" A voice interrupted his absent minded observations. He spun to see Tony leaning against the door frame nonchalantly. He was holding a tray with two cups of juice and what looked like… cookies? Seeing Peter stare at the plate, Tony sighed.

"I tried, okay. I looked up a recipe online and I had FRIDAY help me. I even asked Pepper for help. It was fine until she left to go take care of something..." His voice trailed off as he realized that Peter had stopped listening to him and was instead staring at the scene beyond his window.

"Look, kid. I'm sorry that I… that this place… that we're so close to the beach. This was the only house that I knew that the government didn't know about, and…"

"I get it, Mr. Stark. It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it is. I should have never taken you to Germany. If I hadn't, that wouldn't have happened." Tony gestured wildly towards Peter's legs. Peter's paralyzed legs.

Right. Germany. He hadn't thought about Germany in a while. Whenever he did, it was a compilation of lights, sounds, and pain. So much pain. Peter shook his head, as if to shake out the thought of Germany.

"Really, Mr. Stark. I… I don't blame you. And you know, being like this isn't that bad. There are even action movies about people like me, right? Like… like… Avatar?"

Tony smirked and set down the plate on Peter's bedside table. He was decked out in an uncharacteristically bright Hawaiian shirt. The children had begged him to. He was a sucker for children. What has this world become?

"The cookies are probably trash, but the juice is from a carton, so it must be good. Unless Clint's being an idiot again and switched it out for something." The duo looked down at their glass, looked up at each other, and -just as a perfectly synchronized father and son should- chugged the entire glass.

"I think it's safe to say that this is real juice," Peter said, wiping his mouth with his wrist. Tony chuckled in response. Then they fell into an awkward silence.

"Mr. Stark, if it makes you feel better, I will blame you. But I really don't. Believe me, I wanted to. I wanted to blame somebody. But I couldn't. Of course, if you hadn't brought me to Germany, I wouldn't have gotten hurt. But now that it happened, I don't want to brood over it. And I have been. Brooding over it, I mean. This makes it impossible to be Spiderman." Tony cursed under his breath. He had obviously forgotten about Spiderman. Sensing that Tony was again mentally punching himself, he pushed forward.

"But I want to just continue living. If I have to be this way, fine. But I want to be able to figure out a way to live how I normally did with your help." Peter looked up tentatively at the last phrase. As much as Tony's help was needed, he was in no means obligated to help him. Tony looked back at him. Slowly, he began to smile.

"Kid, you're talking to one of the richest men in the world. You can be damn sure that I'm going to help you."

**Author's Note: I am by no means an expert/doctor/a paralyzed person. I will be doing some research to make it as realistic as possible, but if I make a mistake, feel free to correct me! Also, feel free to tell me how I'm doing in general. This is my first ****fanfiction**** after all. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

Tony Stark was stressed.

Stressed beyond comparison.

And this was the man who had built new types of missiles for a living.

The kid had already reassured him that it was fine. But he knew that deep down there was some resentment. And it was understandable. Because of Tony and his stupid ideas, Peter couldn't do what he loved most to do- be Spiderman.

How can you be Spiderman when you couldn't move your legs? So much of Spiderman's routine had been based on the strength of his legs. The way he landed. The way he launched himself. And now all of that would be taken away.

Tony let out a sigh and settled in a nearby chair. FRIDAY informed him that he had projects to do and meetings to go to. He dismissed all that with a wave of his hand.

Tony Stark was more than stressed.

He was frustrated.

He was supposed to be one of the smartest men ever. Yet he can't even solve this problem. A problem that he caused himself.

A warning level blinked on a screen. His blood pressure was about to blow the roof. He had to calm himself down. Steve had been trying to show him meditation tricks or some nonsense to help him calm down. Tony scoffed. There is only one tried and true way of calming himself down- sleep deprivation and work to do. With a grunt, he rose from the seat and opened up his most recent project only to close it back right away. Those were plans for a new SpiderMan suit. A wave of fury swept over him. Nothing was working. Was this what it would be like now? Guilt and shame getting in the way of being the mentor that he had promised to be?

He had promised May that he would take care of Peter Parker. Tony rubbed his face with his hands. This is going to set back so much progress. It may seem selfish for him to think this way, but it was true. He saw everything- the love for the boy that she had, the skepticism that she had held for him, the slow earning of trust. Normally, he wouldn't have wasted so much time trying so hard to earn someone's trust. But strangely, he desperately wanted the hot-but-scary aunt to truly trust. And no, it wasn't because the first time he had met Peter, he had run up to him and called him daddy (much to Peter's embarrassment).

Tony groaned. He was a horrible mentor. In his tunnel-visioned thought, everything was his fault. Every death. Every pain caused. Everything. Everything. Everything.

Tony kicked a chair out of anger. Feeling some sort of relief from that, he proceeded to kick, punch and yell at every single piece of furniture that wasn't bolted to the ground, which, to his disappointment, wasn't a lot of things.

"Stupid! pathetic! Worthless!" Tony screamed. There was a voice in his head that asked him if this was the most rational thing to do. He disregarded the voice. This felt too good. Having run out of furniture to kick, he threw a box of bolts at a wall. He watched the bolts ricochet of the wall. Tony stood back and surveyed the damage- furniture arranged askew, some overturned. The bolts were still spinning off to who knows where. Having used all his energy, he looked for a place to sit. His chair was overturned and obviously broken. He looked around and spotted a wheelchair from when he had broken his leg at a bar fight (It involved a macadamia nut and a box of mochi ice cream… don't ask). He approached it and promptly sunk into it.

It was like a light bulb had switched in his head. What if there was a way to modify the SpiderMan suit to accommodate for a paralyzed person? Was that even possible? He chased that thought out of his head. He was rich. He was a genius. What was stopping him from being Tony Stark? Tony Stark was a overconfident, smooth man. But more than that he had assets that others would kill for. Including a state-of-the-arts lab.

He made his way over to his thankfully bolted down lab table and opened up the file again. This just might work. Peter Parker may not need to give up SpiderMan yet.

**Author's note: I was supposed to be writing a history essay, but instead of thinking about history, my brain just went straight to this, hence... Again, I am not an expert on paralyzed people and their reaction, emotions, etc. Please please please tell me if I wrote something inaccurately. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

Human Interaction.

What was that again?

All Tony knew right knew right now was his lab table and FRIDAY. The past week was filled with measurement and test trials. Who knew this would be this hard? He did, but he had chosen to ignore it.

Tony had wanted to give up so many times. Making sure that the new suit would accommodate for someone paralyzed while making sure that he would have the same, or perhaps more, powers was extremely difficult. But he imagined the joy on Peter's face. Spiderman was his life, as was Ironman to his. Imagining that has given him a newfound energy to keep going.

The suit was special, if he did say so himself (and he did). The exterior was to stay as same as possible. It was what was inside that was different. Peter couldn't stand on his own. The suit had a brace that would go around his midsection and hips. There were encasings for his legs to go into, not that different from his Ironman pieces or prosthetic legs. These leg pieces, as well as the brace would all be connected to his mask. The mask read what he wanted his legs to do and maneuvered the pieces so that it would move in the way that he wanted to.

The material was one of the most peculiar parts to figure out. Iron would have been too heavy, especially with the amount of movement and flexibility that Peter was sure to expect. Tony settled on aluminum. Of course, the aluminum that he was using was far more thinner, stronger, and flexible than what was commercially used, but the government doesn't need to know that.

There was also extra cushioning in the suit, so that he wouldn't get more hurt than he already. This was already a planned feature, but this became even more important judging from the circumstances.

One of the perks of having an AI such as FRIDAY made the design of the suit so much more easier, as anything that Peter couldn't do, FRIDAY could. FRIDAY also added safety measures that would in the long run benefit everyone. One of the features that he was extremely proud of was the "Tough Enough for My Love" function (he was on a eighties kick when he named the functions. It was supposed to be a placeholder, but it grew on him). If Peter was injured, needed help, or just needed to get out of a situation, the feature would get him out of there asap. Of course, Peter would probably not use it on his own. That's why he had FRIDAY.

It wasn't perfect yet. He wanted this to be a surprise for Peter, and therefore hadn't told him. All the measurements were from before the fight, and although Peter probably hadn't changed that much, there were still adjustments to be made. He wouldn't also have to sync the mask to Peter's thoughts. Although it was built for reading brain waves, it had to be tweaked to match Peter's- and only his. When Tony was designing this, he had visions of villains stealing the mask and controlling Peter. Although the chances of that happening were slim, there were still chances. He would rather be paranoid than have the kid in even more danger than he is getting into.

Pepper walked in as he was putting the finishing touches. When he said that all he knew was his lab table and FRIDAY? He was lying. He was forgetting the rock that kept him through. Pepper Potts, CEO extraordinaire. And his girlfriend. She had been the shoulder in which he cried tears of frustrations into. The voice of reason when he became too destructive. Without her, he didn't know what he would do.

Wow. He really loved her.

Pepper set down a tray of food onto the table and gently led Tony away from the glowing blue hologram. She smiled softly as Tony reached for the fork, slightly disoriented. There were times when Tony made her so angry that she considered leaving him. All those times he left to be Ironman were the times when she couldn't eat or sleep in worry. She even wondered at times like those whether the relationship was worth it. But seeing him so selfless, so caring. It was times like this that she stayed for. And if she could be the light in the darkness when he got too lost, everything was worth it.

Now all she wished was that this would be successful. For this project to work. Not just for Peter's sake, but for Tony's. And hers.

**Author's Note: This was more of the technical stuff and establishing a relationship with Pepper (I love her...) I did calculate it with an online metal weight calculator. It actually said magnesium was lighter, but it was just weird to me. Again, I am not an expert on paralysis nor am I an expert on engineering. If I got anything wrong, please do tell me!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

"Keep your eyes closed Peter."

"They are closed, Mr. Stark."

"They better be closed."

"They are closed"

"I swear, if you're lying to me-"

"They're closed!" Peter shouted with a laugh. Tony was leading Peter down to his lab. Tony was keeping a light atmosphere but his body language told otherwise. His hands held the handles of the wheelchair with an iron grip. His thumb kept rubbing the edges of the handles. He couldn't help chewing on his lip nervously. Thank goodness the kid was in front of him. And had his eyes closed.

"Are you sure they're-"

"Mr. Stark!"

They finally reached the lab. They entered, Tony closing the door behind them.

"Ah… Okay kid…" He started to fidget. Noticing, he stopped and blurted, "Open your eyes."

Peter opened his eyes, squinting from the sudden light. When his eyes adjusted, his eyes fell on the improved Spider-suit that was displayed on a platform. It was surrounded by a holographic screen that listed every single piece of information that was used. At first, Peter was rendered speechless. His mouth opened and closed without any sounds. Finally, he swallowed and said, "Mr. Stark? What's this? Is this a Spider-suit? But I thought-"

"Yeah. So I was thinking after our talk in your room. Remember that? That thinking involved some furniture throwing, but when I finally brought myself together, I thought that maybe I could build a suit that fits your needs-" He was interrupted by arms hugging his midsection.

"I don't think you took a breath that entire speech, Mr. Stark." His tone was teasing, but when he looked up to meet his mentor's eyes, Tony could see all sorts of unspoken gratitude.

"It's not perfect. The measurements are a bit off. I also have to sync your brainwaves to that mask. But for now, here's your Spider-suit." Peter made his way towards the display, reading every single statistic that was listed on the screen. He had forgotten that the kid was a nerd. Not different from how he had been.

"Mr. Stark! The aluminum! How could it be that light? And the mask? How does that work?" Peter was spewing questions left and right. Tony chuckled. This was going to be a long night. But he wasn't dreading it. In fact, he couldn't wait.

**Author's Note: By the way, the song mentioned in the last chapter is "Coming Home" by Cinderella (That's where "Tough enough for my love" comes from). I totally forgot to mention that. Also, I tried to make this chapter longer, but it just didn't feel right. So I wrote the next chapter, which is also a bit short, but together it's about the length of a usual chapter. Again, I am not an expert in this area, so if I mess up, please let me know! And as a side note, am I supposed to put a disclaimer in these stories? Well, I don't own the Avengers. **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V

"Test number… ah. Kid? What number is this again?"

"178, Mr Stark."

"Of course it is. Right. Okay. Test number 178. Start mark half a meter back from center. You there, look alive. We need you for fire safety. Kid?

"Activating mask."

The mask blinked on at the command. Of course, from the outside, it looked like a normal Spider mask. But what Peter was seeing was heaven. The crazy features that displayed before his very eyes was the _coolest thing ever_. He could regulate his temperature, measure distances and even order a Big Mac. Why a Big Mac? Good question. Most importantly, however, was that he could move the suit just by thinking it. Jump up? Sure thing. Squat down? Absolutely. This was amazing.

There were, of course, certain caveats to look out for. He couldn't just think 'I want to jump there.' He had to be certain and assertive- 'Jump there.' Tony had explained that wishing and wanting would confuse the mask, as making plans were full of wishes and wants. "You could plan to, let's say, jump to that ledge. So you think, 'Oh, I'll jump there.' But the bad guy decides to swoop onto that very ledge. If we programmed it to listen to I wills, shoulds, or wants, you would be dead before that Big Mac you just ordered is out yet. 'Cause you can order Big Macs. You're welcome." Tony had said.

During the test run, however, things weren't really going as planned. "Uh, kid. Are you thinking?"

"Yeah. It isn't moving, is it?"

"Nope. What were you thinking?"

"I wanted to walk to the line in the center. So I thought 'Walk there.' But I guess it isn't moving?"

"Yeah… ah… It may be having problems with syncing with your vision. My guess is that simply saying 'there' isn't registering with the mask."

"Back to square one, I guess, Mr. Stark."

"Yeah." He struggled to keep a calm facade. He wanted to scream in frustration. He and the kid had put in so many hours in trying to fix all the problems that arose. First the mask went the opposite direction then what Peter had ordered. Then it would do what he ordered with too much force, causing him to fall over. Again and again, they tweaked and fixed, but more and more problems kept popping up. He was sick of it. Why wouldn't the suit WORK? As he was rubbing his eyes with his palms, he didn't notice Peter struggle out of the suit, get into his chair, and approach Tony. Suddenly, he felt a warm hug, an occurrence that he noticed were happening more frequently.

"We'll figure it out, Mr. Stark. Even if it takes forever. We'll get there in the end."

"That defies the definition of forever, kid."

"I know, Mr. Stark."

**Author's Note: As promised, a slightly short next chapter. I hope people noticed the reference to the first Iron Man movie. I had big tests recently, so the upload was a little late, and I have big tests coming up, so expect sparse updates for the time being... Once again, I am not an expert in this field, nor am I pretending to be one. I will gladly listen to anyone who corrects my mistakes. Also, the Avengers isn't mine.**


	6. Thank You

Thank you so much for the support. This was my first fanfiction, and the positive reviews it got made me happy.

I tried multiple times to sit down and write a new chapter. But it just felt wrong. Anything I added to it felt like I was trying to stretch it too far.

Maybe I'll do an epilogue. Maybe I'll start write more chapters after I left it to sit a while longer. But as of now, the story is complete.

Thank you again.

EntangledWorld


End file.
